Eat This!

Hello...

#SERVICE+… I’ve been thinking a lot about service lately. Restaurant service in particular. Not, why some places do a better job than others. But, why some places don’t even get the concept. I’m sure you’ve probably heard this one… “Great service can save a very average meal. Poor service can kill a five star one”. Or, some variation on that theme. I’m not talking about refilling a half empty water glass. I’m talking about understanding the actual concept of hospitality. Some restaurants rollout A+ service every day. While others just can’t ever seem to get it done right. Most, fall somewhere in the middle, with service levels varying wildly depending the shift or day of the week. We’ve all eaten at places that fit each one of those descriptions. Without a doubt, training has something to do with under-performing service expectations. With restaurants opening in Sarasota at a breakneck pace, I can understand that it may, from time to time, be difficult to find experienced and dedicated people to fill those positions. But, here’s the reality. Once a place develops a reputation for poor service, it’s next too impossible to shake that label. And, with competition in town so fierce for the dining dollar, it could very well make the difference between a line out the door or a sign that read “space for lease”… Do you know a Sarasota restaurant that always delivers four star service? CLICK HERE & drop us a line. We’ll mention a few on our Facebook page. THE 3 B’S,That’s right, Beer, Boats & Bacon. You were expecting something else? It’s a festival celebrating the joys of all three. SATURDAY OCT 8TH, Noon to 7PM, Nathen Benderson Park. TICKETS HERE... FOOD FOR OPERA, How about enjoying a fantastic downtown food fest and helping out the Sarasota Youth Opera? Yes, you can! SATURDAY SEPT 10TH, 1PM to 4PM at the Sarasota Opera House, a TASTE OF DOWNTOWN. Sample food from 20+ Sarasota restaurants on the stage of the opera house. INFO HERE... EAT FOR A GOOD CAUSE, September is THE COLUMBIA RESTAURANTS 19th annual Community Harvest month. The restaurant will donate 5% of your check total to benefit over a dozen local Sarasota charities. HERE’S A LIST... CHEAP EATS, The Sarasota-Manatee Originals is your source for some BIG local restaurant discounts. On sale THURSDAY, SEPT 1ST @ 7AM. These always go fast. GET YOURS HERE.

Feast!

Sarasota

Three years ago, when I left my job at Florida State for one at New College, I also left behind what is arguably one of the best bourbon bars in the country, the Lounge at Market Square, and the Tallahassee Whiskey Society, which held its meetings there.

Now, full disclosure: I went through a break-up phase with Ruth’s Chris a few years after the restaurant opened in Sarasota. The service and, quite frankly, the kitchen didn’t reach the caliber of the company’s other restaurants, and when you pay $40-plus for steak on a plate, you expect everything to be perfect.I am a true fan of a big steak. Call me “carnivore extreme.” If my doctor let me, I would eat steak four nights a week. So I was really excited about my recent meal at Ruth’s Chris.

Boca Kitchen, Bar & Market, a farm-to-table-focused restaurant and retailer based in the Hyde Park area of Tampa, will open its fourth location at 19 S. Lemon Ave. by the end of August, according to a news release.

On a family trip to watch the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Bill Cornelius stopped to eat in an old house-turned-restaurant in Social Circle, Ga. It was there, after watching a server sing the song to an unsuspecting customer, that he fell in love with gospel music.

After nearly a year and a half away from the craft-beer business, Darwin Santa Maria will return to the craft he counts among his strongest passions. The chef and brewer announced today his plans to open a new brewing company, Chela Brewing Co., by November.

During the month of September, savor the many flavors of The Mall at University Town Center. Choose from two distinctly delightful options for either lunch or dinner—or better yet—both! All participants will also receive a Passport to Shopping booklet offering more than $600 in special offers throughout the mall.

Authenticity pumps through Jeremy “JDub” Joerger’s veins. He’s the founder and CEO of JDub’s Brewing Company in Sarasota, Florida. You’d never guess the man who now dons a cow costume at events (which is a great conversation starter about JDub’s Bell Cow Milk Chocolate Porter) is a former federal agent and Army special agent.

Quick-service restaurants have piled into Southwest Florida in recent years.
The five-year local boom has brought in new chains known for fast service and higher-quality meals that are less expensive than traditional dining.

The Charles Ringling Building, which has been a downtown Sarasota landmark since its construction in 1926, has a new tenant. Sarasota Sky Bar & Club will have a soft opening Sept. 9 in the venue perhaps best known this century for housing Margarita Maggie's

The media has conveniently forgot the most significant challenges faced by the restaurant industry. Yes, it was the news flash for a few months, but now it is old news – old news that continues to haunt restaurants from coast to coast.

Make This!

For many years, I owned an offset smoker, and as a hard-core barbecue enthusiast I insisted on it as an absolute necessity for low-and-slow cooking. Having a firebox to the side, not under, the meats means you can more easily keep the heat gentle — and replace coals and wood as needed.

How To Do It!

What’s the difference between us and a professional chef tossing food two feet in the air over a raging flame? Confidence. That’s why we asked some of our favorites for 12 essential techniques, along with advice on fearlessly frying, flipping, seasoning, and more.

J Kenji López-Alt, managing culinary director at Serious Eats, knows a thing or two about the science of cooking. His nearly 1,000-page tome, The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science, demystifies common culinary blunders with over 300 detailed recipes and recently earned a 2016 Beard Award.

...The Exit

INS AND OUTS, One addition since we last talked. Oak & Stone opened on University Parkway. That brings the current Sarasota restaurant total to 348. If you know of a restaurant that we haven’t included, drop us an email. This is our last issue of the summer. Have a safe Labor Day holiday.. As usual, If you know someone who might like to get their very own FEASTnews, send them this link to check out our past issues and signup! Thanks for reading! Check TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM for updates. Next issue, 9/12 - ###